Research In Motion Ltd (BBRY): 3 Reasons BlackBerry’s Super Bowl Ad Fumbled

I’m not sure. The commercial made no reference to the price, which may not be completely finalized (Verizon says it will be $199 with a two-year contract), nor did it show much of the screen interface (beyond a couple of sideswipes). In a press release, Frank Boulben, BBRY’s Chief Marketing Officer, explained why:

“In our debut appearance at the Super Bowl we knew that it wasn’t feasible to communicate the rich experience of BlackBerry 10. We decided to use the light hearted spirit of Super Bowl ads to showcase what BlackBerry 10 can’t do. We wanted to let people know that BlackBerry is back and that BlackBerry 10 is worth checking out.”

Well, I am not convinced.

3. For That Matter, Where IS the Phone?

But let’s say that you were convinced, based on the commercial, that BlackBerry 10 was “worth checking out.” You head down to your local wireless store to do so. What do you find? Well, not a BlackBerry 10. The phone won’t be released in the US until sometime in March — probably late March. That means there’s going to be almost a two-month delay between the ad and the product, by which point we’ll all be thinking about other things. At least Microsoft waited until the Surface’s launch was imminent before advertising it! Same with Samsung and the Galaxy Note II! Wouldn’t it have been better to drop the $4 million in ad buys during March Madness? They wouldn’t reach 100 million viewers all at once, true, but they would reach a few million multiple times. And BlackBerry will have to buy ads in March anyway.

The Final Score

I’ve been bearish on BlackBerry for years now, and although their stock price rose about $2 (14%) on Monday (which is to be expected), I’m more concerned now than ever. The decision to drop $4 million on a single 30-second spot two months before the product is even available seems a questionable management decision to me, and beyond “Super Bowl ad,” I’ve yet to hear anyone at BlackBerry explain how they will woo new users or overcome their image problem.

However, it’s possible that I’m wrong and this presages a BlackBerry renaissance. It’s also possible that an oil tanker might transform into a pile of rubber duckies. I’m not betting on either.

I’d love to hear in the comments what those bullish on BlackBerry thought of the ad and whether it makes you more or less confident in the company.

The article 3 Reasons BlackBerry’s Super Bowl Ad Fumbled originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by John Bromels.

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